Artlandish Gallery newest addition to The District

Thursday, July 30, 2009 | 12:01 a.m. CDT

Anne Jacobson, an art teacher at Columbia Independence School, visits with Lisa Bartlett, the owner of Artlandish Gallery on Walnut Street. The two exchanged ideas and materials for collage work. Jacobson has known Bartlett for a number of years and was a patron of Bartlett's old store, The Vintage Shop, on Ninth Street. Bartlett's gallery opened on July 24.¦Christine Martinez

“We use vintage items and furnishings for displaying (the art), so you get an idea of how it would look in your home,” gallery co-owner Lisa Bartlett said.

Artlandish will begin offering workshops Monday on jewelry, bookmaking, collages and mixed media. Bartlett said the workshops allow people to “get the whole art experience,” rather than just viewing and buying art.

Co-owner Jessie Lawson and Bartlett began planning for the opening four months ago. Bartlett said both have experience in retail, making the process of opening the gallery easier.

Although planning for the gallery initially began in April, Bartlett said most of the preparation took place five days before the grand opening because work was still being done on the building.

“It was the Monday before the opening, and the floors were still completely bare,” Bartlett said. “We worked on (the gallery) from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day (during those five days), trying to get it ready.”

The grand opening was part of ArtRageous Fridays, a quarterly event that features several downtown venues.

“ArtRageous Fridays is a great event,” Bartlett said. “It was perfect timing (to open the gallery), and we wanted to help and support the event.”

Bartlett said she feels that opening the gallery during ArtRageous Fridays helped bring more people out. She estimated attendance at 250 to 300 people.

“People seek out art on that night that might not normally come into town,” she said.

The gallery will have an art show this fall called the North Village Artists Market in conjunction with Sven’s Kafé and Gallery.

Bartlett said the event is meant to take the place of the Columbia Festival of the Arts, which is being discontinued this year.

Artlandish Gallery is part of the North Village Studios, which includes Boxcar
Films, Lakeside Studio Photo, Monarch Jewelry, Moon Shadow Studio,
Kimberly Wright Art and Life Photography.